Memorable teachers have a rationale or teaching philosophy that guides them to develop a learning environment that has a lasting impact on many of their students. The characteristics of such a learning environment could take years to refine in the face of many obstacles and negative pressures. Your guiding vision is an essential beacon for growing as a teacher!
How does a teacher develop a durable vision of his or her teaching. You were asked to reflect on what inspired you to teach and begin working on this vision in the first weeks of EDC 430. After observing your CT's classes, you were asked to refine this vision again at the end of the Fall semester. Now that you are a more experienced classroom teacher and are preparing to compete for a science teaching position, it is a good time to reflect on your observations and experiences that occurred over the year and refine and clarify your vision by considering these questions:
What kind of teacher do you want to be? What kind of teacher do you NOT want to be?
What lasting impact do you want have on each of your students?
What are you going to strive to accomplish in your upcoming teaching position?
How will your learning environment express your beliefs about teaching?
To prepare for this task, I have assembled some of your writings and observations along with your current teaching rationale. After considering these past writings, you can refine your rationale by clicking on the little "edit" button on the right side of the last section at the bottom of this page. If it is no longer applicable, you may choose to delete or update your iBrainstorm graphic if it is still at the bottom of your rationale statement.
[Invalid Include: Page not found: Teaching Inspiration - SarahR]
CT's Teaching Style
Sarah Rockwell
Westerly High School
Reflection #3
Mr. O conducted a scientific investigation into hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic solutions and the effects on cells within such a solution. Mr. O introduced the lesson by reviewing the definitions of the three terms. He then introduced the procedure and purpose for the upcoming lab. The students already had assigned lab partners that they chose at the beginning of the quarter. Therefore, when Mr. O was done explaining the lab, the students split up into their groups and collected that materials that they needed for the assignment.
Mr. O engaged higher level thinking by asking students to determine, based on their observations of the induced effects on their cells, which solution was hypertonic, hypotonic, or isotonic. Students were then required to explain why they made their decision using their own words and expamles from the lab.
I value scientific investigations in my own classroom as well. However, I think that I would have put more emphasis on the scientific method and ask students to develope a hypothesis based on the information that was provided. This would allow them to create a colclusion at the end of the lab report that either proves or disproves their origional hypothesis. I feel that this is important for students to clarify their personal misconceptions or reinforce their origional thinking and enourage them to take academic risks in their thinking.
CT's Classroom Management
Sarah Rockwell
November 7, 2011
Deering M.S
Journal #4
During my visits within Mrs. L's science classroom, I notice many disruptions that occur on a regular basis. Students occassionally cunduct their own conversations during instructional time, individual students will try to distract the teacher by asking off-topic questions, some students will not come to class with any of their materials, and occasionally the main office will call Mrs. L's classroom phone. For each of these disruptions Mrs. L has a unique response. When students begin their own conversations in the back of the classroom, Mrs. L usually stroll over to their area while continuing her lecture or she will simply stop talking and wait until they take notice and quiet down. When students try to throw her off-topic by asking inappropriate questions, she gently reminds them that they need to stay on task to get through the lesson. For those students who come to Mrs. L's class unprepared, she always has a back-up pile of the current assignments to distribute. Even when Mrs. L's classroom phone rings she simply excuses herself from the classroom for a quick second, asking the students to complete a quick task while she is on the phone. Overall, Mrs. L does a fabulous job of keeping her students on-task and busy throughout her classtime, regardless of the distraction.
Throughout my 5 weeks with Mrs. L's classes, I have noticed the students that have more behaivor issues than others. I have observed how Mrs. L handles these students, and have discussed ways of managing their behavior in the classroom. With 2 students, Mrs. L keeps a daily running record of their performance in class. The record is kept in the students' adgenda's and is signed off by the parents every night. The record is for improvement only and focusses on the posetives such as: contributing to the classroom discussions appropriately, staying on task, and coming to class prepared. I will adopt this method when I am student teaching in her classroom because these students are familiar with this method and have come to respect it and follow it.
In my own classroom I envision a democratic environment where students can contribute to their learning. I would adopt many of the techniques that Mrs. L uses for classroom management, but I would let the students be a bit more involved in their learning. I would allow them to make their own classroom rules at the begining of the year. This way they are all help accountable for rules that they all value. I sometimes feel that students do not always know why they are being discaplined or why certain rules are set in place. If they create the classroom "laws" on their own they would better understand the purposes behind them.
Game of School Reflection
Sarah Rockwell
November 7, 2011
Deering M.S
Journal #5
The "Game of School" gave me a lot of insight into how students view school. I myself, as a student, did not realize how much of a pawn I am in this game until I read about it. At Deering Middle School I also observed students and teachers playing the game as well. Many students that I observed were filling out anwers to questions using the least bit of comprehension that they could muster. Most students were trying to answer questions in sentance fragments, using words that were extracted directly from another source.
I also observed teachers playing the game as well. The science teacher at D.M.S had given students notes and handouts that were direct photocopies from the book. She did not take the time to sift through the material to pull out the parts that she found interesting or important. She also did not take time to develope an assignment that met all students interests. In this case, the teacher chose the easiest route to assign students work. She chose assignments drawn up by others that would keep the students busy.
In my own classroom I plan to master the game of school. Now that I have a deeper understanding of how it is played and the main objectives behind it, I will use it to my advantage. I will create assignments that will aim at students' interests and focus on process more than product. If students are only trying to pump out a product that they think I will like, they will not do well in my classroom. I will encourage students to be bold and take risks in their thinking. I will aim my focus on assessment tools that are more formative. This will ensure that I can moniter students' academic growth. The "Game of School" is one that will probably continue as long as there are teachers and students to try to take short-cuts. With my new found key into the underlying objectives of this game, I will use it as my tool to overcome it.
Rules of Engagement
What are some of the rules you will try when you are a teacher full time?
How do you react to the definitions and guidelines for engaging students?
What strategies are you using to engage your students? To disengage your students?
When I am a full-time teacher, I would like to employ as little rules as possible due to the dynamic mix of students and their varying personalities and needs.
Students should arrive to class on time and be prepared with the tools needed for class. I feel that it is important to explain the purpose of each rule to the students as they are made. There are many expectations that I have for my students such at respect for others, but these will not be considered rules.
School rules that have been established by the school itself, should of course be followed. However, I feel that you really need to know your class before you establish any set classroom rules, and rules should be customized for each class.
I feel that school rules should be strictly enforced only when concerning student safety. An example of this would be during labs where harmful tools or materials may be used.
Example of class rules:
Arrive to class on-time
When teachers or other students are speaking to the class, give them your attention and be respectful
Arrive to class prepared with the proper materials (book, notebook, pen/pencil)
Never leave the classroom without notifying the teacher
Follow all safety regulations when working in the lab
Concerning the piece on student engagement, I agree that students will more like complete the tasks at hand unhindered if they are engaged. Students should feel autonomy in the classroom and should feel responsible for their learning. Teachers should scaffold students and foster qualities such as intrinsic motivation, maturity, and responsibility.
To engage students I:
Open a lesson with something that the students can relate to or are interested in
Ask open-ended questions that require exploration and problem solving to arrive at the answer
Turn the lesson into a game of time (provide a timer and tell students that they must work to beat the clock)
Introduce a lesson that allows the students to determine how it is instructed (inquiry)
To disengage students:
Sound a buzzer or musical alarm of some sort
Stop speaking and wait for students to take notice
Write a message like "quiet please" on the board and wait for students to take notice
Nice rationale for getting to know students before establishing specific rules. I also admire your point about the need for teachers to scaffold qualities such as intrinsic motivation and responsible behavior. How do your strategies for engagement work toward this? - fogleman
Revise YOUR TEACHING RATIONALE BY CLICKING ON THE EDIT BUTTON BELOW
Sarah Rockwell EDC 430 Teaching Rationale 04/30/12
Teaching Rationale
As a profesional Science Teacher, I want to be a person that students admire. I will stand as a model of positive social behavior and intrinsic motivation. I want students to leave my classroom with a sense of curiosity, pride and determination. As an educator, I will strive to help every student set attainable goals in their education. As their teacher I will provide students with the tools that they need to achieve their educational goals and set higher standards for themselves. Every student should leave my classroom with a renewed sense of self-esteem and accomplishment that will motivate them to reach future success.
The environment within my classroom will provide the foundation that students require to be successful young scientists. Students' ideas will be valued and respected. Questions will be encouraged and exploration will be commonplace. Students will be exposed to a democratic environment within my classroom where they will serve as active decision makers for the betterment of the class. Decisions that students can partake in will include class rules, inquiry topics, grading criteria, etc. The only rules that students will be unable to modify are those that deal in student safety. As scientists, student must follow all safety measures that are set in place to protect them when performing laboratory experiments. Hoever, students will be encouraged to lead lessons in inquiry and explore the world around them. Students should be made to feel like equal contributors to their environment. I set high expectations for all of my students and take care to remind them of the standards that I set for them.
My goal as an educator is to guide adolescents along their development as responsible and respectful adults. I feel that student social and emotional growth is equally as important as their academic growth. Students need to have interpersonal skills as well as an academic knowlege base to succeed in the world outside of school. I will challenge students in both areas to instill a level of intrinsic motivavtion and determination. My hope is that these students, being better prepaired for the world outside the walls of formal education, will maintain their motivation and thirst for knowlege. This will give them the intrinstic drive that they will need to make achievements throughout their lives.
Rationale Synthesis
Memorable teachers have a rationale or teaching philosophy that guides them to develop a learning environment that has a lasting impact on many of their students. The characteristics of such a learning environment could take years to refine in the face of many obstacles and negative pressures. Your guiding vision is an essential beacon for growing as a teacher!
How does a teacher develop a durable vision of his or her teaching. You were asked to reflect on what inspired you to teach and begin working on this vision in the first weeks of EDC 430. After observing your CT's classes, you were asked to refine this vision again at the end of the Fall semester. Now that you are a more experienced classroom teacher and are preparing to compete for a science teaching position, it is a good time to reflect on your observations and experiences that occurred over the year and refine and clarify your vision by considering these questions:
To prepare for this task, I have assembled some of your writings and observations along with your current teaching rationale. After considering these past writings, you can refine your rationale by clicking on the little "edit" button on the right side of the last section at the bottom of this page. If it is no longer applicable, you may choose to delete or update your iBrainstorm graphic if it is still at the bottom of your rationale statement.
Westerly High School
Reflection #3
Mr. O conducted a scientific investigation into hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic solutions and the effects on cells within such a solution. Mr. O introduced the lesson by reviewing the definitions of the three terms. He then introduced the procedure and purpose for the upcoming lab. The students already had assigned lab partners that they chose at the beginning of the quarter. Therefore, when Mr. O was done explaining the lab, the students split up into their groups and collected that materials that they needed for the assignment.
Mr. O engaged higher level thinking by asking students to determine, based on their observations of the induced effects on their cells, which solution was hypertonic, hypotonic, or isotonic. Students were then required to explain why they made their decision using their own words and expamles from the lab.
I value scientific investigations in my own classroom as well. However, I think that I would have put more emphasis on the scientific method and ask students to develope a hypothesis based on the information that was provided. This would allow them to create a colclusion at the end of the lab report that either proves or disproves their origional hypothesis. I feel that this is important for students to clarify their personal misconceptions or reinforce their origional thinking and enourage them to take academic risks in their thinking.
November 7, 2011
Deering M.S
Journal #4
During my visits within Mrs. L's science classroom, I notice many disruptions that occur on a regular basis. Students occassionally cunduct their own conversations during instructional time, individual students will try to distract the teacher by asking off-topic questions, some students will not come to class with any of their materials, and occasionally the main office will call Mrs. L's classroom phone. For each of these disruptions Mrs. L has a unique response. When students begin their own conversations in the back of the classroom, Mrs. L usually stroll over to their area while continuing her lecture or she will simply stop talking and wait until they take notice and quiet down. When students try to throw her off-topic by asking inappropriate questions, she gently reminds them that they need to stay on task to get through the lesson. For those students who come to Mrs. L's class unprepared, she always has a back-up pile of the current assignments to distribute. Even when Mrs. L's classroom phone rings she simply excuses herself from the classroom for a quick second, asking the students to complete a quick task while she is on the phone. Overall, Mrs. L does a fabulous job of keeping her students on-task and busy throughout her classtime, regardless of the distraction.
Throughout my 5 weeks with Mrs. L's classes, I have noticed the students that have more behaivor issues than others. I have observed how Mrs. L handles these students, and have discussed ways of managing their behavior in the classroom. With 2 students, Mrs. L keeps a daily running record of their performance in class. The record is kept in the students' adgenda's and is signed off by the parents every night. The record is for improvement only and focusses on the posetives such as: contributing to the classroom discussions appropriately, staying on task, and coming to class prepared. I will adopt this method when I am student teaching in her classroom because these students are familiar with this method and have come to respect it and follow it.
In my own classroom I envision a democratic environment where students can contribute to their learning. I would adopt many of the techniques that Mrs. L uses for classroom management, but I would let the students be a bit more involved in their learning. I would allow them to make their own classroom rules at the begining of the year. This way they are all help accountable for rules that they all value. I sometimes feel that students do not always know why they are being discaplined or why certain rules are set in place. If they create the classroom "laws" on their own they would better understand the purposes behind them.
November 7, 2011
Deering M.S
Journal #5
The "Game of School" gave me a lot of insight into how students view school. I myself, as a student, did not realize how much of a pawn I am in this game until I read about it. At Deering Middle School I also observed students and teachers playing the game as well. Many students that I observed were filling out anwers to questions using the least bit of comprehension that they could muster. Most students were trying to answer questions in sentance fragments, using words that were extracted directly from another source.
I also observed teachers playing the game as well. The science teacher at D.M.S had given students notes and handouts that were direct photocopies from the book. She did not take the time to sift through the material to pull out the parts that she found interesting or important. She also did not take time to develope an assignment that met all students interests. In this case, the teacher chose the easiest route to assign students work. She chose assignments drawn up by others that would keep the students busy.
In my own classroom I plan to master the game of school. Now that I have a deeper understanding of how it is played and the main objectives behind it, I will use it to my advantage. I will create assignments that will aim at students' interests and focus on process more than product. If students are only trying to pump out a product that they think I will like, they will not do well in my classroom. I will encourage students to be bold and take risks in their thinking. I will aim my focus on assessment tools that are more formative. This will ensure that I can moniter students' academic growth. The "Game of School" is one that will probably continue as long as there are teachers and students to try to take short-cuts. With my new found key into the underlying objectives of this game, I will use it as my tool to overcome it.
When I am a full-time teacher, I would like to employ as little rules as possible due to the dynamic mix of students and their varying personalities and needs.
Students should arrive to class on time and be prepared with the tools needed for class. I feel that it is important to explain the purpose of each rule to the students as they are made. There are many expectations that I have for my students such at respect for others, but these will not be considered rules.
School rules that have been established by the school itself, should of course be followed. However, I feel that you really need to know your class before you establish any set classroom rules, and rules should be customized for each class.
I feel that school rules should be strictly enforced only when concerning student safety. An example of this would be during labs where harmful tools or materials may be used.
Example of class rules:
- Arrive to class on-time
- When teachers or other students are speaking to the class, give them your attention and be respectful
- Arrive to class prepared with the proper materials (book, notebook, pen/pencil)
- Never leave the classroom without notifying the teacher
- Follow all safety regulations when working in the lab
Concerning the piece on student engagement, I agree that students will more like complete the tasks at hand unhindered if they are engaged. Students should feel autonomy in the classroom and should feel responsible for their learning. Teachers should scaffold students and foster qualities such as intrinsic motivation, maturity, and responsibility.To engage students I:
- Open a lesson with something that the students can relate to or are interested in
- Ask open-ended questions that require exploration and problem solving to arrive at the answer
- Turn the lesson into a game of time (provide a timer and tell students that they must work to beat the clock)
- Introduce a lesson that allows the students to determine how it is instructed (inquiry)
To disengage students:Nice rationale for getting to know students before establishing specific rules. I also admire your point about the need for teachers to scaffold qualities such as intrinsic motivation and responsible behavior. How do your strategies for engagement work toward this? -
Revise YOUR TEACHING RATIONALE BY CLICKING ON THE EDIT BUTTON BELOW
EDC 430
Teaching Rationale
04/30/12
Teaching Rationale
As a profesional Science Teacher, I want to be a person that students admire. I will stand as a model of positive social behavior and intrinsic motivation. I want students to leave my classroom with a sense of curiosity, pride and determination. As an educator, I will strive to help every student set attainable goals in their education. As their teacher I will provide students with the tools that they need to achieve their educational goals and set higher standards for themselves. Every student should leave my classroom with a renewed sense of self-esteem and accomplishment that will motivate them to reach future success.
The environment within my classroom will provide the foundation that students require to be successful young scientists. Students' ideas will be valued and respected. Questions will be encouraged and exploration will be commonplace. Students will be exposed to a democratic environment within my classroom where they will serve as active decision makers for the betterment of the class. Decisions that students can partake in will include class rules, inquiry topics, grading criteria, etc. The only rules that students will be unable to modify are those that deal in student safety. As scientists, student must follow all safety measures that are set in place to protect them when performing laboratory experiments. Hoever, students will be encouraged to lead lessons in inquiry and explore the world around them. Students should be made to feel like equal contributors to their environment. I set high expectations for all of my students and take care to remind them of the standards that I set for them.
My goal as an educator is to guide adolescents along their development as responsible and respectful adults. I feel that student social and emotional growth is equally as important as their academic growth. Students need to have interpersonal skills as well as an academic knowlege base to succeed in the world outside of school. I will challenge students in both areas to instill a level of intrinsic motivavtion and determination. My hope is that these students, being better prepaired for the world outside the walls of formal education, will maintain their motivation and thirst for knowlege. This will give them the intrinstic drive that they will need to make achievements throughout their lives.